Centre-left Socialist leads first round of Portugal's presidential vote, exit polls say

Moderate ‍Socialist Antonio Jose ​Seguro and far-right candidate Andre Ventura appeared headed ⁠for a runoff vote in Portugal's presidential election, two exit poll showed on Sunday, putting Seguro in ​the 30-35 percent range and Ventura on 19.9-24.1 percent.

Joao ‍Cotrim de Fegueiredo of the right-wing, pro-business Liberal Initiative party ​came third among a total of 11 contenders, ​according to the exit polls conducted for television channels RTP, SIC and TVI/CNN  that placed him at 16.3-21 percent.

The second round vote is tentatively scheduled for February 8.

Polls had predicted that Ventura, leader of the far-right Chega ("Enough") party, could top the first round but would lose round two, regardless of which of the other candidates he encounters there.

In the five decades ‍since Portugal threw off its fascist dictatorship, a presidential election has only once before – in 1986 – required a runoff, highlighting how fragmented the political landscape has become with ​the rise of the far right and voter disenchantment with mainstream parties.

Portugal votes in tight presidential race with far right expected to reach runoff

To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement.

Accept Manage my choices

One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site.

Try again

Chega won 22.8 percent of the vote and 60 seats in a general election last May, overtaking the Socialists to become the country's largest opposition party.

The president of Portugal has no executive powers but can, in times of crisis, dissolve parliament, call elections or dismiss a prime minister.

Popularity test

Ventura saw Sunday's vote mainly as a test of his popularity, according to experts, who believe that he has his sights set on eventually running the country as prime minister.

"Andre Ventura is running to keep his voter base," said Antonio Costa Pinto, a political scientist at Lisbon University.

A stronger far right would add pressure on the minority government of right-winger Luis Marques Montenegro, which relies on Chega for support for the implementation of some of its policies.

Read moreEngland's extreme patriots: Inside the growing nationalist movement

Ventura urged the other parties on the right not to put "obstacles" in his way should he find himself facing the Socialist candidate, Seguro, in the run-off.

Seguro, meanwhile, said he is the only one capable of defeating Ventura's "extremism".

Portugal, a country of nearly 11 million inhabitants, is a member of the European Union and the eurozone. It accounts for around 1.6 percent of the EU's gross domestic product (GDP).

(FRANCE 24 with Reuters and AFP)